


Joie de Vie

by mariquita_gatanegra



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alcohol, Gen, everyone has a crush on someone else, rogue au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-26
Updated: 2016-04-26
Packaged: 2018-06-04 16:00:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6665071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mariquita_gatanegra/pseuds/mariquita_gatanegra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Before Hawkmoth's rise to power, Nino and Adrien lived relatively normal lives. Or at least, as normal for them as it could get. For a while, things seemed to go great for them; Adrien had been getting a string of semi-steady jobs, and Nino had started DJing as one of the best clubs in their district. There, he met a bartender who made his heart race.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Joie de Vie

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so, this is part of [happy-little-ghost's](happy-little-ghost.tumblr.com) [Rogue AU](happy-little-ghost.tumblr.com/tagged/rogue-au) on tumblr. For those of you worried about original characters, Iris's role is pretty small in the scheme of things, and outside of _Joie de Vie_ , you probably won't see her all that much except for in one other place. There are two more original characters in the series: Santino and Ives. If you're curious about any of these characters or the canon characters's places in this AU, I suggest asking [happy-little-ghost](happy-little-ghost.tumblr.com) about it. I hope you enjoy reading this ^^

Tonight was a busy night at _Joie de Vie_. But that was usually the case on Friday nights. Fridays and Saturdays were probably the busiest nights in the business, which was pretty good for business. The more people attended the club, the more money was made. And the more money made, meant a bigger paycheck for Nino.

Nino had been DJing at _Joie de Vie_ for a couple of months now, after the previous DJ had "quit." At least, that was the official story. The truth probably involved more drugs and shady side businesses than the manager was willing to let on. Since then, Nino had worked on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights part time as the club DJ. Soon he became a favorite of the club patrons, and got bumped up to full time. With that came bigger pay, and unfortunately, longer hours.

Nino's sleeping schedule edged into nocturnal territory, which was hard and unsettling at first, but there was one thing that kept him awake during work hours, and her name was Iris.

Iris was the usual bartender at _Joie de Vie_ , and everyone loved her. She was beautiful, confident, and capable. Men clamored against her bar, ordering drink after drink of whatever their preferred poison was, winking at her and sliding napkins with hastily scrawled phone numbers her way along with generous tips. There were some women amongst her admirers, as well as some people whose gender couldn't be immediately identified. And if Nino wasn't up in his booth, he'd probably be among them.

She usually wore the same outfit to work: a tight black tank top and a pair of body-hugging jeans. Something silver glinted on her neck, but Nino was never close enough to see what it was. Her hair was a loose mane of curly auburn hair that flipped and danced under the lights as she moved from one end of the bar to the other. She ran her hands through it whenever she laughed, and from what Nino saw, she laughed a lot.

Probably the most enticing thing about her was her mouth. Iris wore a smile like it was a comfortable pair of socks. Which is to say, she always had it on. She smiled her lopsided grin at everyone who ordered a drink, everyone who tried talking to her, everyone who was milling about near her. The bright red lipstick that she typically favored only emphasized it. Most nights it was a cherry red that could be considered blinding, but some nights it changed. The other colors that Nino had seen were dark red, brown, fuchsia, magenta, gold, blue, purple, and a purple that was somewhere between mauve and black. Each color was more stunning than the last, but Iris always went back to her classic red. Nino hadn't seen her eyes yet, but he bet they were beautiful as well.

Nino fell for her on his third night as a full time DJ. He had arrived to work still exhausted from the past two nights of work and restless sleep. It was a good thing that the DJ didn't really need to be seen, he just had to play the music.

Maybe an hour or two in, Nino could feel himself falling asleep despite the thumping bass on either side of him. He did his best to keep the music alive, but some of the staff could tell that Nino was slowing down. He was rubbing his eyes and fighting back a yawn when one of the bouncers tapped his shoulder and held out a tall glass of dark liquid.

"Iris sends her regards," she said, and slipped him the glass along with a napkin decorated in a neat purple scrawl before blending back into the crowd. Nino slipped his headphones to his neck and quickly read the note.

_Come Mr. DJ song pon de replay,_  
_Come Mr. DJ won't you turn the music up?_  
_All the gyal pon the dance floor wanting some more what,_  
_Come Mr. DJ won't you turn the music up?_

Nino held back a laugh. He recognized those lyrics, and before he could stop himself, he lined up the next track. As soon as the current song (a newer song from an American singer about how to wave off men when they won't leave a poor girl alone) ended, Rihanna immediately started singing through the _Joie de Vie_ speakers.

_Come Mr. DJ song pon de replay,_  
_Come Mr. DJ won't you turn the music up?_  
_All the gyal pon the dance floor wanting some more what,_  
_Come Mr. DJ won't you turn the music up?_

The club patrons screamed with delight at the change, and the pace picked up as more people congregated to the dance floor for a little bump n' grind action. At the bar, Iris was laughing and swaying back and forth in a way that was just a little more contained and professional than some of the girls who were dancing in packs nearby. But only a little. Somehow, Nino caught her eye. He raised the glass that she had sent him, and she winked before returning to the customers waiting on their drinks.

After last call, Nino was ready to head home by himself. Usually, Adrien dropped by to walk home with him, but tonight the blonde was busy with god-knows-what. Nino waved goodbye to some of the other staff members with whom he was familiar with, and then bumped into Iris on his way out.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," Nino apologized. The bartender dismissed his apology with a wave.

"It's fine. Happens more often than you'd think." She dusted herself off and then fixed him with a smile. It was even more dazzling up close. "I saw that you got my message."

"Huh? Oh! Yeah. Thanks for the drink, by the way. I really needed it."

"I could tell. I'm not going to lie, you looked pretty dead back there."

"I felt pretty dead," Nino admitted, "still do."

"Occupational hazard. You'll get used to it soon, I promise."

"So does that mean that I can look forward to more drinks?" He asked hopefully. "Because that one was spectacular. What even was in it? Woke me right up."

"Well," Iris looked thoughtful, "it was basically just instant coffee cut with bourbon. I don't even know if it tastes good, but it seemed like it did the trick."

"It tasted kinda funky," Nino admitted, "but it totally woke me up."

"Good, I'm glad. So, you headed home?" She asked, leaning on the bar.

"Yeah. I live a few blocks away so it's not too bad."

"Which direction?"

"Uh... Somewhere to the left."

"That's real specific, DJ."

"Sorry if I don't know my cardinal directions by heart," Nino joked. "I just know the general direction."

"Well it just so happens that I live somewhere to the left as well"

"No shit, really?"

"Yep." Iris popped her p. "It's a bit more than a few blocks away, though. Want me to walk you home?"

"I don't know..."

"Oh come on, please? You seem like a pretty stellar dude. Don't worry, I'm not an axe murderer, if that's what you're worried about."

"The thought hadn't even crossed my mind."

"Good. Wait here a sec? I gotta grab my bag from the back."

Nino nodded, and sat down on one of the barstools as he watched Iris leave. He pulled out his phone and sent Adrien a quick text letting him know that he was going home. By the time he slipped his phone back into his pocket, Iris had returned. She had on a pair of large rectangular glasses, and carried an army green tote bag that had several small pockets decorating the front and sides.

"Ready to go?" She asked.

"Oh god, yes." Nino slid off the barstool. Iris exhaled a sharp, "ha," and led him outside.

The air outside was nippy with the night chill, and the sky was a still canvas of inky purple that was covered with a couple of whispy clouds that hid whatever stars were out that night. Nino could see two or three faint ones already, and knew that maybe a dozen more would show up through the smog. Maybe.

Nino and Iris walked in silence for a while, and in that silence, Nino had the time to notice a few more things about the bartender that he had missed. First was that she was shorter than him by maybe two inches. Second, her glasses frames weren't black like he had originally thought, but a semi-translucent purple that made her eyes pop. Third, she was wearing a pair black and white sneakers that looked like those weird shoes with the hidden heel. Actually, that's probably what they were. Nino wondered how tall she actually was.

The companionable silence ended when Iris asked a question that Nino didn't quite hear.

"I'm sorry, what?" Nino asked.

Iris laughed. "I said, are we getting close to your place?"

"Huh? Oh yeah. We'll be there is a little bit. It's right down the street from here." Nino pointed ahead at his apartment building. Iris stared at it.

"That one?" She pointed at the building. Nino nodded, and Iris's smile instantly turned mischievous. "Race you," she teased before taking off down the street.

"Wha- hey!" Nino squawked before chasing after her. He caught up in seconds, thanks to Iris's awkward strides (yep, there were definitely heels in those sneakers). He slowed to a stop in front of his apartment door and waited the few seconds it took for Iris to catch up.

"What took you so long?" Nino said through a wide grin. Iris rolled her eyes and flipped him off.

"We can't all have super long legs like you, DJ. Save some leg for the rest of us." Iris bumped Nino's arm with her fist. "So this is your place?"

"Technically I split the rent to an apartment here, but yeah let's just call it mine."

They both laughed at that.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then?" Nino asked, more as a formality than anything. Both of them knew they would see each other the following night.

"See you tomorrow," the brunette affirmed. Nino nodded, and unlocked the door. "Goodnight Mr. DJ!" Iris called.

"Goodnight!" Nino replied. He watched for a moment as Iris continued on her way. As she walked, he heard her quietly singing to herself.

" _Come Mr. DJ song pon de replay,_  
_Come Mr. DJ won't you turn the music up?_  
_All the gyal pon the dance floor wanting some more what,_  
_Come Mr. DJ won't you turn the music up?"_

 

The two had gotten closer after that, maintaining a solid friendship from across _Joie de Vie_. Most nights, Iris would send over a drink along with a scrawled-on napkin, usually in purple, and usually emblazoned with the chorus of a song that she wanted to hear.

They walked home together, or at least to Nino's apartment building before going their separate ways, and on their walks they learned little things about each other. Iris learned that Nino's drink of choice was Jack and Coke, and Nino learned that Iris's favorite band was Owl City, but she loved Nikki Minaj as well.

Nino also learned that she hated jewelry other than the silver class ring that glinted on her index finger and the yin-yang pendant that adorned her neck most nights, her wrist other nights, and her keys the rest of the time. She loved the color purple. Her favorite flowers were roses ("Kind of ironic seeing as how my name is Iris," she had joked one night). She hated wearing contact lenses, but she didn't want to wear her glasses to work and her vision was terrible without corrective lenses. She could curse more creatively than he had previously thought possible.

They walked together for a few weeks before Nino started questioning why Adrien hadn't picked him up once from the club. That was usually their deal; both men would work (usually with the blonde finishing first), and then Adrien would stop by Nino's work place to make sure that he made it home okay. Nino never asked why Adrien was so adamant about doing it, something to do with what happened to him before they met. Nino never asked and Adrien never wanted to tell.

But when Nino asked Adrien why he suddenly stopped, a knowing smirk covered the blonde's face, and he only laughed, and then said, "If you need me to leave the apartment for a night, just ask dude. I wouldn't want you and your new lady friend to feel uncomfortable."

The vehement denial of everything only made the heat in Nino's face and ears worse, and the reaction was only made even more embarrassing when Adrien laughed louder and made a couple of comments about safe sex and using condoms. Which of course, only garnered an even louder scream from Nino.

"Okay okay," Adrien had said after he was sure that Nino was thoroughly embarrassed, "in all seriousness, do you like this girl?"

"Iris," Nino mumbled, "her name is Iris."

"Do you like Iris?"

Nino groaned. "Yeah... I like her a lot."

"Then what's the problem?"

"She's way out of my league," the DJ mourned, "and I'm pretty sure that she only sees me as a friend. And even if she didn't she's got swarms of dudes hanging around her, and they're all way cooler than me."

"Yeah, but you're the one that gets to walk with her after closing hours," Adrien pointed out.

"But I don't want to be 'That Guy.' You know, the one that makes friends with a girl just to bang her."

"Do you want to bang her?"

"Kinda!" Nino grabbed a throw pillow from the couch and stuffed his face into it. "I'm so so screwed."

"Just not by her," Adrien snickered. Nino resonded by hitting Adrien with his pillow several times before calming back down. Adrien laughed and patted Nino's shoulder sympathetically. "You're really gone for this girl, aren't you?"

Nino nodded, and shoved his face back in the pillow.

After that, Adrien started showing up at _Joie de Vie_ right around last call and hung out in the corner of the bar. He didn't talk to anyone and he didn't drink. He just watched the club patrons move on the dance floor, and waved away any drinks that were occasionally sent his way by drunk girls who were looking to get lucky that night. He'd leave shortly after last call and be waiting in the living room when Nino came home.

Then one night, Iris slid Adrien a vodka and tonic.

"Who's this from?" The blond asked, eyeing the alcohol.

"Me," the bartender replied. "You're Nino's roommate, right? He mentioned that you liked this particular drink."

Adrien took the drink in his hands and stared at him. "I usually only drink the cheap stuff," he stated.

"It's on the house," Iris assured him.

"Well if that's the case," Adrien put the glass to his lips, and immediately the taste of the vodka overtook him. "Holy shit, this is good stuff."

"Top shelf," Iris grinned.

"You're kidding," Adrien deadpanned. "I wouldn't be able to afford this on a good day!"

"Good thing you're friends with the bartender," she winked, and Adrien couldn't help but laugh as the alcohol made quick work in his bloodstream.

And after last call when Nino came down from his DJ booth, he found his two best friends laughing together like they'd known each other for their entire lives.

 

"So how long have you been in love with him?" Iris asked Adrien one night. The blond choked on his drink, and spat some of it out in a fit of violent coughing. "Hey, that was the good alcohol!"

"I'm sorry, what?"

Iris rolled her eyes impatiently. "I said, how long have you been in love with him?"

"With whom?"

"With Nino, you dumbass."

"Oh." Well shit. "How can you tell?"

"Call it Woman's Intuition. Also, he's all that you ever seem to talk about. Not that I mind, Mr. DJ is a pretty cool dude to hear about." She leaned onto her elbows. "Now tell me everything."

Adrien scoffed. "What's there to tell?"

"Well for starters, you never answered my question. How long have you been in love with him?"

"Long enough to know that it would never work out," was Adrien's sullen reply. "I mean, look at him, he's legitimately one of the most honest and caring people I know. Now I'm kind of a messed up guy. I've been around, seen a lot of shit, and done a lot of shit that I'm not proud of. I don't have a steady job. I can't afford to pay my half of the rent and also pay for groceries and bills. And Nino? He's been working two jobs for most of the time that we've been living together just to support me, and even now that he has this great DJing gig, he still does birthdays, quinceañeras, weddings, and bar mitzvahs on the side to rake in extra money. Why? Because I certainly can't do it.

"And Nino's never said a word about it! He's never complained about paying the bills by himself, never complained when I come back home later than he does when I'm covered in dirt. He knows where I've been and accepted me despite all the stigma against me. Nino is a goddamn angel, and he doesn't need my ass weighing him down. He can do better than me, and even if he knew that my feelings towards him are a little bit more than platonic, he'd agree." Adrien sighed and downed the last of the vodka.

As soon as he put the glass down, he blinked at Iris. "Why the hell did I tell you all of that?"

"It's half you being drunk and half me being a bartender. People just want to tell me stuff," Iris shrugged and took the empty glass. "And it sounds to me like you really care about him. And if what I know about Nino and what you've said are true, then if he knew about how you felt about him, then the last thing he would do is shut you down. He loves you, Adrien, and even if it's just platonic, he's going to love you no matter what you do. You should go for it."

"I'm pretty sure that he has his eye on someone else," Adrien lamented.

"Ooh, that's the worst. You sure?" Iris placed another vodka and tonic in front of the blond.

"Pretty damn." Adrien took a sip.

Around the two, the music shut off, the lights went up, and Nino made his regular "good night everybody," speech. Adrien finished his drink as quickly as he could, and by the time he was done, Iris had cleared the bar and Nino had made his way over.

"What's up dude?" He grinned.

"You know, just drinking my life away," Adrien joked, and gestured with his glass.

"Man, you need to stop it with that stuff. If you're not careful you're going to become an alcoholic."

"You know what? You're absolutely right. I'm giving up alcohol for a week. No wait, I said that wrong. I'm giving up. Alcohol for a week!" Adrien laughed.

"Man you're pretty tipsy aren't you?" Nino asked.

"Sorry about that dude, he needed it," Iris interjected, and plucked the glass out of Adrien's hand. "Did you like your note?" She asked as she placed it in the bin with the other dirty glasses.

"I loved it. Owl City is now my favorite band. I have been fully converted."

"Good," Iris smiled. "I'm going to get my stuff. Wait for me?"

"Wouldn't dream of doing otherwise," Nino assured, and took a seat next to Adrien. The two watched Iris retreat to the backroom, and then Adrien fixed his friend with a level stare.

"You have to tell her," Adrien stated.

"I know," Nino slumped over the bar. "I know."

"So what's the holdup?"

"There's never a right time. I mean, come on dude. We talk for a bit, work on separate sides of a club for hours, exchange a note, a drink, and a song, and then take the fifteen-twenty minute walk home and then she leaves. There's not exactly a lot of time for us to talk about our feelings, bro."

"Why not just call her and tell her? I know you have her number."

"I'm not going to tell her over a text message, dude. That's just tacky."

"Tell who what over a text message?" Iris's voice sounded from behind the two. Nino screeched and fell off his barstool. "Holy shit, are you okay?" Iris rushed over and helped the DJ stand.

"Yeah, fine." Nino's face felt unseasonably warm. "Can we forget about that and just go home?"

"Sure thing buddy," Adrien promised. But when Nino wasn't looking, he winked at Iris to let her know that they would never forget about this.

On the walk home, Nino's mystery crush wasn't brought up again, but there were several jokes made at Nino's expense due to his abrupt meeting with the _Joie de Vie_ floor.

"Hey so I'm thinking of going somewhere on vacation," Iris stated, trying very hard to keep from laughing.

"Oh yeah? Where?" Adrien asked, very clearly in on the joke.

("Guys," Nino warned.)

"I don't know yet. Maybe I'll go out of the country. America, perhaps? I hear that Florida is very nice in the summer."

("Oh my god.")

"I've heard that too. The weather can be brutal right around the middle of the season, but if you stay all the way through to the end of the summer, I promise that you won't regret it."

("Adrien what are you doing?")

"That sounds like a lovely idea! I'd love to take a trip down to Florida," Iris's shit-eating grin stretched all the way across her face. "Get it? Florida? Floor-ida?" She elbowed Nino's ribs.

"Yep. I get it. I fell on the floor. Please kill me."

"Kill you? No, never." The bartender wrapped her arm around Nino's waist and pulled him close to her. Nino blushed at the sudden proximity and tried to ignore how her head stopped right below his shoulder. "You're too much fun," she continued.

"Yeah Nino," Adrien draped a sly arm across the DJ's shoulders and leaned against his head. "You're way too much fun."

"I swear to god that I am going to kill the both of you," Nino muttered, struggling ever so slightly against the two. "Why did I let you two meet each other? Who thought that would be a good idea?" Adrien and Iris laughed at that, and this time Nino noticed that Adrien had been looser tonight than he'd been in, well, a long while. Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was the company, but Nino figured that Adrien could stand to have a little bit of fun every once in a while. Even if it meant endless jokes at his own expense.

"Oh would you look at this?" Nino shrugged away from Adrien and Iris. "We're home now! Better rest up for the big day ahead of us!"

"What big day?" Iris eyed the both of them.

"Don't look at me, I have no idea what he's talking about."

"The big day is that we're going to go to bed and wake up only mildly hungover. Well, I think I'll get away unscathed. Blondie over here is a different story."

Adrien whined in protest. "Screw you asshole, I'm not even halfway drunk."

"Oh my god. I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

"Goodnight!" Iris called as Nino scrambled up the few steps and into the apartment building. "You have to tell him," she said as soon as the DJ had retreated out of earshot, "or you're going to lose him to someone else."

"I keep telling you, I never had a shot to begin with."

"Sure you didn't. Now go to bed. You've got work in the morning, right?"

"Something like that. Goodnight Iris," Adrien waved as she started to walk away. "Have a nice trip! See you next fall!"

Iris laughed as she continued on her way, leaving Adrien to walk up to his and Nino's apartment. As soon as he closed the door, he said, "You have to tell her."

"What?" Nino looked at him, bewildered. "Didn't we just go over this?"

"Yes, but I'm going to say it again because you so very clearly are into her and anyone with eyes can see it. Except Iris. But I think that's because her vision is terrible. Have you tried on her glasses? Oh boy it's like looking through a fishbowl."

"Oh my god, how drunk are you?"

"I told you, I'm just tipsy. Now make me a promise Nino, you're going to tell her tomorrow. Okay? I won't stop by _Joie de Vie_ , I won't walk with you home, whatever it takes. But you have to tell her tomorrow," Adrien prompted. "For the love of god, dude, just do it. Be the meme to make your drememes happen."

"Okay buddy, time for bed," Nino sighed, and took Adrien by the hand to guide him to his bedroom.

"No dude, I'm serious. All memes aside, you're really into her, and you've gotta, you know, Carpe Diem. Seize the day and all that. Or Carpe Noctum? Seize the night? Noctum? Notum? You know what, I took Latin all through high school and I can't remember what Latin for night is. But whatever it is, you gotta Carpe it." By this time, both boys were in Adrien room, and Nino was helping Adrien out of his shirt.

"Okay Adrien, I'll tell her tomorrow," Nino laughed a bit at his friend's antic disposition.

"Promise?" Adrien raised an eyebrow.

"Promise," Nino promised, without any intention of making good on that promise.

"Good. Good." Adrien nodded as Nino sat him on his bed and pushed him back a little bit so that he would lie down.

"Good night Adrien,"

"G'night Nino," the blond yawned. "Hope you had a nice trip."

"Oh my god you're an asshole," Nino said as he shut the door.

The very next day, all hell broke loose.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so, just a note, I'm not the main writer for this AU. Once again, that's [happy-little-ghost](happy-little-ghost.tumblr.com), who let me borrow the concept to write this. In the AU, Nino would be shyer around Iris. The reason he's not in here is because I don't know how to write crushes and falling in love. My version it is, "best friends being assholes to each other until they smooch because it's about damn time that they do." One of the downsides of having no real experience in the department. 
> 
> Also, Adrien technically should be more of a mess. Like I mentioned, he's had kind of a rough past, and Nino's friendship is a pretty big deal to him. Of course, that means that he's never going to tell Nino how he feels, which is part of the reason why he's so insistent that Nino tell Iris how he feels. 
> 
> And as for that cliffhanger(?), well, I guess you'll have to keep up with Rogue ;)


End file.
